Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fluffy Clouds Creative have started production on a new live-action series for nine to 14s called Lila Goes Viral, which blends kids’ interest in the environment with a social media influencer vibe. 

Featuring 100 videos of varying lengths, this collaboration focuses on a teenager who becomes internet-famous overnight after posting a video of herself singing an original song about climate change. She then has to figure out how to navigate this newfound stardom and use her digital platform for good. 

Fluffy Cloud’s Erica Rabner and Robby LeDoux co-created the series, which features original music and will be shot in the style of a YouTube influencer’s vlogs (like Sinking Ship’s previous YouTube series Lockdown). Rabner and LeDoux are both singers/songwriters by trade—Rabner has worked with Moonbug Entertainment and Pinna, and LeDoux has written music for YouTube series Mother Goose Club and done sound design on Blue’s Clues & You Nursery Rhymes. 

Sinking Ship was drawn to Fluffy Clouds’ series concept because of its focus on navigating the complexities of internet fame, as well as its blend of education and engaging entertainment, says partnerships director Alexis Grieve. 

For partner J.J. Johnson, who’s also an executive producer and director on the project, it’s all about the message. “Sinking Ship is at its best when we have something to say, and we found the perfect combination of entertainment, heart and inspirational green messaging in Lila Goes Viral.”

Sinking Ship and Fluffy Clouds plan to shoot a first batch of content next month, aiming to launch the show’s YouTube channel in August. They’re working on raising financing and currently finalizing their first round of partners, including brand sponsors, foundations and private investments. YouTube has also been championing the series because of its climate focus, which is helping Sinking Ship unlock other partnerships, says Grieve.  

The plan is to launch the series on YouTube first in order to stay true to the creator culture that’s baked into it, say Rabner and LeDoux. “This isn’t a traditional TV show distributed on YouTube; it’s a YouTube-native show that feels like Lila made it herself. We want to lean into creator culture, collabs, brand partnerships and formats that kids already love, including GRWM [Get Ready With Me videos], dancetoks and, of course, songs!’

Lila Goes Viral is one of seven projects that won funding from nonprofit The Aspen Institute’s This is Planet Ed initiative in February—and this money was used to finance a trailer.

The team behind the series also includes Amy Friedman, an executive producer and the founder of Redhead Consulting, who brought Lila Goes Viral to Sinking Ship and helped mentor all of the Planet Ed pitches. She was very impressed by the standout concept. “This series feels like the right idea at the right time on the right platform with the exact right team. In my 30-year career, I have rarely felt the puzzle pieces fit together so naturally.”

Sinking Ship’s Grieve echoes this sentiment, and notes that tween interest in both influencers and the environment gives this concept a lot of potential. “The timing could not be better,” she says. “We know kids care deeply about the environment, but we also know they are tired of doom, gloom and preaching. Lila Goes Viral has environmental stewardship at its heart, but is about so much more of teen life—friends, family, crushes, homework, music and fashion—all set against the backdrop of a musical career that’s going viral. So it’s an entertainment-driven show with a green heart, rather than a green show trying to be entertaining.”